Students petition Senator over Student Loan Fund issues

Matichon•Politics•12h ago

Reader Briefing

Students and parents petitioned Senator Parinya Wongcherdkhwan regarding the inability to secure loans from the Student Loan Fund.

•A group of students submitted a petition to Senator Parinya Wongcherdkhwan on August 26 at the Parliament.
•The House of Representatives' ad-hoc committee for the Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Act reportedly refused to increase the Student Loan Fund's budget by approximately 5 billion baht.
•A survey of 1,600 students indicates 47 percent are at risk of dropping out of the education system in year 69.
•Affected students have resorted to informal loans and pawning gold to maintain their student status.

•On August 26, Senator Parinya Wongcherdkhwan received a petition from affected students at the Parliament.
•The House of Representatives' ad-hoc committee for the Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Act did not increase the Student Loan Fund's budget by approximately 5 billion baht from the requested 9 billion baht.
•The Student Loan Fund has an outstanding debt of 220 billion baht because it cannot collect payments from graduates.
•Senator Parinya Wongcherdkhwan urged the government to allocate sufficient funds to the Student Loan Fund instead of relying solely on the central budget.
•A survey of 1,600 students conducted by Palathip Pimsawan shows 47 percent are at risk of leaving the education system in year 69.
•Some students have taken informal loans or pawned gold to keep their student status, while others have already stopped studying.
•Palathip Pimsawan acted as a representative for affected students to request assistance from relevant authorities.

Full article content is available on the original source.

Parinya Wongcherdkhwan(ปริญญา วงษ์เชิดขวัญ)

A Senator and Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Education, Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation.

Palathip Pimsawan(พลาธิป พิมพ์สุวรรณ์)

A student from Uttaradit Rajabhat University who represented affected students in the petition.

Student Loan Fund(กองทุน กยศ.)

A fund providing loans to students that is facing budget constraints and collection issues.

Uttaradit Rajabhat University(มหาวิทยาลัยราชภัฏอุตรดิตถ์)ℹ️

The university where student Palathip Pimsawan is enrolled.

House of Representatives(สภาผู้แทนราษฎร)ℹ️

The legislative body whose ad-hoc committee reviewed the budget for the Student Loan Fund.

Parliament(รัฐสภา)ℹ️

The location where the petition was submitted on August 26.

Budget Expenditure Act for Fiscal Year 2027(ร่างพระราชบัญญัติ (พ.ร.บ.) งบประมาณรายจ่ายประจำปีงบประมาณพ.ศ.2570)

The draft act under consideration by the House of Representatives' ad-hoc committee.